“When you have more than you need, build a longer table not a higher fence”

In the spirit of sustainability and reducing waste to landfill, staff at PATA Headquarters participated in an online flea market to buy, sell, and trade unwanted items. The staff shared photographs of all the items on Google Drive; after that, a bidding war began. All proceeds were donated to charity, and on the last day of the flea market, everyone at the office brought their stuff to sell or swap. Many items got a second life with their new owners, as after all, one (wo)man’s trash is another (wo)man’s treasure! Items that did not sell were donated to the Baan Nokkamin Foundation, an organization chosen by PATA staff.

Baan Nokkamin Foundation is a Christian organisation that aids orphans, underprivileged children, the elderly and addicts by bringing a positive change into their lives. The Foundation helps to strengthen the community so that they can have a better future.

Rising sea levels threaten key coastal areas like the Mekong Delta, which produces the majority of Vietnam’s rice. The only thing standing between the country and the ocean is a tree.

Mangroves are the climate superheroes of the arboreal world. They grow in swamps along the coasts: thin trunks and tangled, spidery roots submerged in dark, briny water. The roots filter saltwater and can expand eroded coastlines. They also create natural storm barriers and protect agricultural land from saltwater infiltration.

Comments Off on ‘A Great Day For Elephants:’ Hong Kong Votes To Ban All Ivory Sales

Supporters of an ivory ban protest outside the Legislative Council in Hong Kong, China January 31, 2018. REUTERS/Bobby Yip

“We now need to see all other countries close loopholes that still allow the illegal trade of ivory to continue.”

Lawmakers in Hong Kong voted to ban all ivory sales in the territory on Wednesday, a move environmentalists hailed as a definitive measure to help curb elephant poaching.

The policies represent a massive step forward in the fight against elephant poaching across Africa and in parts of Asia, where the animals are slaughtered for their tusks. Environmentalists estimate more than 33,000 elephants are killed every year to help feed the demand for ivory, which is seen as a status symbol in some Asian countries.

Countries including Thailand and Vietnam are now the largest remaining markets for the ivory trade, and officials are calling on more sweeping bans to be instituted around the globe.

Anantara and AVANI Hotels & Resorts are proud to announce the decision to end the use of plastic drinking straws at all hotels and resorts in Asia from 1 January 2018. The first major hotel brands to announce a companywide decision to eradicate plastic straws at every single property across the Asia region with a view to extend the roll out to properties in Australasia, Europe and the Middle East by the end of the year.

In the serene mountainous region of Northern Thailand, Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort is working with a local artist, Khamchan Yano, who was shown by the village elders a fast growing wild bamboo, indigenous to the surrounds. Together they have perfected a way to keep the bamboo strong whilst also ensuring it is hygienic and reusable.

Bo Hin Farmstay visitors get a chance to go fishing, walk along a mangrove forest trail or plant seagrass as part of the community’s conservation project.

7 September 2015 – It all began with the need to feed their families. Today, the small cluster of people in Ban Bo Hin community who run a successful homestay have become an ecotourism model for other villages. Bo Hin Farmstay, located at Ban Bo Hin in Si Khao district, Trang province, is a community tourist attraction founded by the Ban Pru Jud Community Enterprise. CHADAMAS CHINMANEEVONG Read more.

Comments Off on Intensifying Efforts to Combat Sexual Exploitation of Children in the Tourism Industry

Development Partnership with the Private Sector Supports the Code in Thailand

Tourism plays a significant role in driving economic growth in developing countries. However, an increasing number of tourists influence the sex tourism business. Although the travel sector is not directly responsible for the sexual abuse of children in the tourist trade, the tourism industry has a key role to play in combating the sexual exploitation of minors. It is important to raise awareness of this issue, one that few venture to address.

Green, sustainable, environmentally friendly, ecotourism. These terms are increasingly heard in recent years wherever the business events industry meets. Even conferences, such as the Inaugural Conference on Sustainable Tourism and Hospitality in Asia, held in Hiroshima, Japan in October, now focus on the topic. Garry Marchant. Read more.

Comments Off on More and more events venues are adopting green measures

Asia has been slow to embrace sustainability. But gradually more sectors of the business events industry — from Australia and Singapore, to the Philippines and Hong Kong, are realising that being sustainable is not merely the right thing to do — it’s the smart thing to do. Steve Cray. Read more.